This page is for the second Aqualad, Jackson Hyde. For the first Aqualad see:Tempest.

History

Jackson's glowing eyes

Jackson Hyde is an average student with a girlfriend in Silver City, New Mexico. Since he was a young boy, he’s been taught by his parents to stay away from water, because his true parents might be able to locate him and certain changes happen to Jackson when he gets in the water.

Jackson has kept this secret hidden for years, from his girlfriend about being afraid of drowning and unable to swim, and being in the dark about the mysterious tattoos he’s had since birth. But soon something force him to go out into the open and dive into the water. Later Aquaman is contacted by the Entity, which tells him to find Jackson before someone else does, which might be Siren and her Death Squad.

Jackson goes outside his house, while raining, where he displays for the first time his abilities. He began controlling the water from the rain and his tattoos and eyes begin to glow. At this moment he as revealed to have gills and webbed hands. Its also revealed that Black Manta is actually his real father, and that Mera also displays knowledge of Jackson.

Jackson's adoptive father after witnessing him in the rain, takes him to a cottage by the sea. He tells him the truth about his real parents. That Mera had given Jackson to him, asking that he keep him away from his parents, and he was given an Atlantean chest to be opened when the truth is discovered. Before Jackson can open the chest, Black Manta attacks, almost killing Jackson's adoptive father before Aquaman arrives on the scene.

Origin

Jackson's birthright

Jackson Hyde, originally named Kaldur'ahm, was born in Xebel, the underwater penal colony of Atlantis located in the Bermuda Triangle. While pregnant with Jackson, his mother was attacked and apprehended by Xebelian outlaws in a lifeboat within the Bermuda Triangle. After taking the mother to Xebel, the Xebelian’s performed experiments on Jackson and his mother in an attempt to discover a biological escape mechanism from their underwater prison. His mother was killed during the experimentation, while Jackson lived. The experiments that were performed on Jackson gave him powers to manipulate water constructs, breathe underwater, and instantaneously grow webbed hands and feet.

Mera, fearing that the Xebelian’s or the Atlanteans would kill Jackson due to his suspected power to open the prison within the Bermuda Triangle, kidnapped him when she left Xebel. Mera brought the boy to a surface couple, who raised him as their own in New Mexico.

Creation

Aqualad in Young Justice

This version of Aqualad was created by Greg Weisman, Brandon Vietti and Phil Bourassa for the Cartoon Network's Young Justice animated series, where he was featured rather than the original Aqualad, Garth. The character's Atlantean name, Kaldur'ahm, and his connection to Black Manta initially suggested that he was not created as a brand new character but actually a heavily re-imagined Cal Durham. This theory was later proven to be false when the show's official tie-in comic book revealed that within the series' continuity, Cal Durham is an entirely separate character from Kaldur'ahm.

Geoff Johns, who was involved in the series as DC's Chief Creative Officer, saw value in its take on Aqualad. As a result, he and Ivan Reis created a comic adaptation of Kaldur'ahm and debuted him in Brightest Day before the Young Justice series premiered. Changes had to be made in order for the character to fit into comic continuity, so Kaldur was raised on the surface as Jackson Hyde to explain how Aquaman could have been unaware of his existence for so long.

Major Story Arcs

Aquawar

Now a teenager, Jackson had been raised with only partial truths about who he was. He knew that contact with water somehow empowered him, and to protect him, his parents had raised him to avoid water. The time came when that would no longer be possible, though. Terrorists escaped Xebel and were seeking him out with the aid of his biological father, Black Manta. At the same time, the Entity of the White Lantern gave the recently resurrected Aquaman the mission of finding Jackson first.

Aquaman arrived just in time to protect Jackson and his adoptive father from Black Manta and Siren. Jackson's adoptive parents were taken to safety, and he reluctantly agreed to help Aquaman . Jackson as the new Aqualad, had the power to lock the Bermuda Triangle and prevent the full scale invasion from Xebel.

Aquaman and Aqualad headed for the Triangle only to swim head into an army of Xebelians, who had already emerged from the opened Bermuda Triangle. Jackson suddenly found himself fighting an army on the beaches of Florida. In the course of the battle, Jackson fought Black Manta and was confronted directly with just how cruel and uncaring his biological father was. Then the arrival of Mera and Aquagirl turned the tide in Aquaman's favor, and the Xebelians were driven back into the Bermuda Triangle, where Jackson successfully sealed the dimensional barrier to end their threat.

Power and Abilities

Aqualad’s powers appear to be the result of scientific experimentation done on him as an infant.

Currently, he is one of the most physically capable among the Atlanteans, although not on par with Aquaman. On land, he has demonstrated superhuman strength (carrying capacity of 7 to 15 tons, depending on his level of hydration), speed and stamina, as well as enhanced agility and durability. Aqualad has demonstrated the ability to make vertical leaps of up to two stories and has casually broken free of more than 3inches of ice encasing his arms when he defeated Killer Frost alongside Aquaman. Most demonstratively, he has briefly held his own in hand to hand combat against SuperBoy (Conner Kent), which is a clear manifestation of considerable physical superhuman strength. In the Young Justice series, we also see that Garth (aka Tempest/the first Aqualad) is a more adept combat mystic, but Kaldur-Ahm is a physically superior combatant. He has held his own in melee combat with the League of Shadow’s assassin, Cheshire, even though he had been dosed with jellyfish toxin, while simultaneously providing protection to Cheshire’s civilian target.

Aqualad’s physical abilities increase when he is underwater. He moves, reacts and fights at superhuman speed, and swims through the water at roughly 60Knots (70mph).

The other source of Aqualad's powers is his knowledge of Atlantean sorcery. In the animated series Young Justice, Aqualad showcases an ability to ionize water into physical shapes. He typically uses this in forming weapons, usually using the water held within his water bearers.

Aqualad also showcases the ability to discharge electricity. Although, this is most likely an augmented ability using the eel tattoos that he has on his body. He can use this in combination with water to electrocute his opponents and also to extend the range at which he can use electricity.

Aquatic Adaption: Aqualad has the ability to breathe underwater with gills that slit on the sides of his neck to extract oxygen from the water. Contact with water appears to bring the gills out along with giving him webbed hands and feet.

Aqualad using his Water Bearers.

Electrokinesis: Aqualad has the ability to generate electricity. His electrical control is not as refine as his control over water, meaning he does not create constructs of electricity. His electric shocks are transmitted either by touch or through his water constructs. He can conduct all forms of electricity through their bodies, created or not, making them totally invulnerable to electricity, no matter the voltage.

Hydrokinesis: Aqualad has the ability to to shape, manipulate and control water in his immediate vicinity, similar to Mera and other citizens of Xebel.

Weapons and Equipment

Jackson's waterbearers

Aqualad wields two hilt-like devices called Waterbearers. They focus his hydrokinetic power, allowing him to quickly and easily form weapons with them. He typically keeps them on holsters upon his back.

Television

Young Justice (Animated series)

Originally created for this animated series, the fundamental difference between this Aqualad and the version of him adapted for comics was that this Aqualad was raised in Atlantis as an Atlantean. Therefore, he never got the surface name of Jackson Hyde, going by the name Kaldur'ahm, and developed a different personality. Also, the source of his water powers was much less unique, because in this continuity, his brand of water sorcery is commonly taught in Atlantis to the magically gifted.

In the series' continuity, Kaldur became Aqualad instead of Garth, who chose instead to focus on his sorcery studies. As such, Kaldur was among the first generation of this world's sidekicks along with Dick Grayson, Wally West and Roy Harper. He became a founding member of the first team of teen heroes, namely Young Justice, and was its first leader because he was apparently the most level headed and wisest member.

He is voiced by Khary Payton, who previously voiced Cyborg in the Teen Titans cartoon.

Young Justice: Invasion

Kaldur in Invasion

Kaldur reappears in the sequel series, set five years after the events of the original show. He is no longer a member of the team, and now works for his biological father, Black Manta. During a battle against his former friends, it is revealed that Kaldur left the group after the death of his ex-girlfriend, Tula. His combat skills have improved, as he is shown easily besting both Aquaman and Superboy in combat. During an attack on a shuttle launch organized by Carol Ferris, Kaldur captures Lagoon Boy and kills Artemis in cold blood. This is later revealed to be an elaborate ruse orchestrated by Nightwing, with Kaldur in reality working undercover to spy on his father's organization. Now declared dead, Artemis joins Kaldur in his infiltration under the new identity of Tigress. Meanwhile, unaware of Artemis' survival Kaldur's true loyalties, Superboy and Mal Duncan vow to exact vengeance on their former comrade.

After his confrontation with Miss Martian in "Before The Dawn", he is now in a vegetable state. Sportsmaster and Cheshire are now revealed to be going after Aqualad due to him "killing" Artemis. In "The Fix", Black Manta orders Tigress and Deathstroke to kidnap Miss Martian, who he plans to force into healing Kaldur's mind. The plan is somewhat successful, though Miss Martian admits that repairing Kaldur's brain will take weeks to complete. She succeeds, and Kaldur and Miss Martian disguised as Deathstroke infiltrate the Light's meeting and ultimately save the world.